“The old railroad grade over Rollins pass from Rollinsville to Winter Park.”

Overview

Description

Head up the smooth dirt East Portal road from Rollinsville. This part of the road is suitable for all cars and crowded, so many people drive this section and park at the Moffat Tunnel. Check out the Moffat tunnel, which made the original narrow gauge railroad obsolete, before heading up the switchbacks leading up to the continental divide. There is also a bore parallel to the Moffat Tunnel which pipes water from the west side of the divide to the east side, confusing the traditional definition of a continental divide as the division between 2 drainage basins.

As you near treeline, you'll encounter the lovely Yankee Doodle Lake and Jenny Lake. On the east side of Yankee Doodle lake is the Boulder Wagon Trail, which is how 4WD vehicles avoid the Needle Eye tunnel (which is closed and barricaded). But on a bike, there is a clear detour trail over the tunnel.

At the summit, there are a few ways to go, but they all merge back together again before heading down the west side of the continental divide. If you stick to the railroad grade, near the summit is the trestle bridge, which is quite a thrilling crossing. You'll also notice a large number of timbers next to the grade near the summit, which are the remnants of a near continuous snow shed.

Enjoy the pleasant downhill on the West side of the continental divide, while stopping occasionally to enjoy the view and to inspect relics of the railroad. Pop out onto Highway 40, and either cross the highway or ride the shoulder west a bit to access the Fraser River Trail which leads to either the town of Winter Park (West) or the ski resort (East) for food and drink.

FYI - The Rollis Pass trail/ATV road doesn't start right at the Moffat tunnel but about 1/2 mile before the tunnel. Bikes are not allowed on the trails that start right at the Moffat Tunnel, and apparently you can get some pretty hefty tickets of you ride on those trails. The Rollins Pass trail isn't steep at all and has nice views, but it is pretty rocky (though not technical). It is VERY busy with trucks/jeeps/ATV's, etc. on the weekend.
Aug 2, 2015

Tried to ride this a week ago but went into deep snow after 10 miles and had to turn back... I didn't expect that in May (and the temperature was about 70). Any idea when this trail usually gets cleared of snow?
May 14, 2016

Worth doing, but I'd say this is a one and done type ride. Bring a patch kit and and tube since it's mostly chicken heads the whole way up. As said below it's popular with 4x4's so expect to eat some dust.
Great views so it's worth doing at least one time. For full effect you can have someone shuttle you from WP.
Apr 11, 2017

This a great high altitude ride, not physically or technically hard - you just need to deal with thin air. Note the gpx file does not take you over the ionic trestle bridges which are a highlight of the ride. Check out a map before you ride so you can find your way to the trestles. Make good use of the earned gravity and ride the single track system back to Winter Park - Yankee Doodle is fun!
Aug 6, 2017